Chechen leader Kadyrov transferred to Moscow with suspected COVID-19

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Russian region of Chechnya, has been moved to Moscow as he is suspected to have contracted COVID-19,Russian state media reported.

“Ramzan Kadyrov has been brought to Moscow with suspected coronavirus infection [He] is know placed under medical observation,” the source noted.

According to the source, Kadyrov is in stable condition.

Earlier, Baza Telegram channel reported that Kadyrov could allegedly have contracted the virus and was transported to a Moscow hospital yesterday.

TheKadyrov- who previously fought against Moscow as a Chechen nationalist – is now a key ally of Russia.

The 43-year-old leader, if the virus is confirmed, would be the latest high-profile Russian official to contract COVID-19.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin only returned to work in the last few days after being treated in hospital for coronavirus.

Who is Kadyrov?

The Chechen leader controls the southern republic of Chechnya. His father, Akhmad Kadyrov, won a presidential vote and was killed when a bomb tore through the stand at Grozny’s main football stadium as he oversaw World War II victory commemorations in 2004.

Kadyrov fought against Moscow during the first bloody separatist conflict in Chechnya from 1994-96. He switched sides to support the Kremlin when it launched a second war there in 1999 under the watch of then-Prime Minister Putin.

“If it weren’t for Putin, Chechnya would not exist,” Kadyrov said in one interview.

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Neal Path

Neal Path is a reporter covering international affairs and defense news. He leads a team of specialist technical journalists and defense forecasting analysts, working across a range of online products. Neal Path is a defense technology specialist and has written widely on most areas of defense technology, but his particular areas of interest include missile defense, precision weapons, naval warfare, sensor capabilities and military operations.